“Child participation is a children’s right” – President Coleiro Preca

President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca addressed and participated in an event organised by the European Parliament, UNICEF, and Eurochild on the occasion of World Children’s Day. During a panel discussion held as part of the event, President Coleiro Preca said that child participation is a children’s right, and as adults, we have the responsibility to ensure that children exert this right, adding that it has to be part of a process, and part of a structure.

The President stated that child participation should be at the heart of our democracies.

“We have tO start implementing democracy from a child perspective, by opening up our structures, our processes and our institutions to listen to children, and by creating the safe spaces that children need, to express themselves”, said the President.

She went on to say that our democracies, “need to feed on what our children are telling us, if possible, each and every day, and not on one-off occasions”, reminding those present that we, as adults, have a responsibility to act.